(KYIV) – Legal representatives of Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich have sharply criticised the British government led by Keir Starmer over the transfer of funds intended for victims of the war in Ukraine. In an official letter reviewed by The Independent, the lawyers claim that the sum of 2.5 billion British Pounds (3.3 billion United States Dollars) is still owned by the oligarch.
They allege that the delay in the payment is caused by the actions of government ministers, as reported by UNN. The law firm Kobre and Kim, which represents the interests of Abramovich, insists that the funds originating from the sale of Chelsea Football Club remain the property of Fordstam Limited, a company entirely owned by the oligarch. According to the legal team,
Abramovich voluntarily initiated the donation of these funds to charity even before the international community imposed sanctions against allies of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. The appeal states that the United Kingdom government has repeatedly chosen to ignore legal issues, instead making public and political statements that do nothing to resolve the situation.
The defence has emphasised that any attempt to forcibly confiscate the 3.3 billion United States Dollars would be challenged in court. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reacted to the statements from the lawyers very harshly, calling on Abramovich to do the right thing. She stressed that the government is ready to act decisively if the funds are not transferred voluntarily by March 17, the deadline set by the Prime Minister.
Prior reports on December 29 indicated that Abramovich refused to transfer the funds from the sale of Chelsea to Ukraine. Chancellor Rachel Reeves supported her colleague, stating that it is unacceptable that over 3.3 billion United States Dollars belonging to the Ukrainian people remains frozen in a bank account.
The situation is complicated by an ongoing investigation on the island of Jersey, where the Royal Court froze assets belonging to Abramovich worth 7 billion United States Dollars back in 2022. The Attorney General of the island considers the oligarch a suspect in a criminal proceeding based on his own confessions of corrupt activities in Russia during a trial involving Boris Berezovsky in 2012.
Representatives for Abramovich assure that these legal proceedings are preventing the unfreezing of assets for aid to Ukraine. Meanwhile, London considers these arguments as another attempt to stall for time, following previous announcements on December 17 that Britain is set to transfer billions of the cash belonging to Abramovich to a Ukraine fund.
